Has anyone heard of the Platypus Trophy? I did not know about it until I asked SharonTakahashi whether Oregon had something equivalent to the Paul Bunyan Trophy ofMichigan. I’m sure everyone is familiar with the Paul Bunyan Trophy. The Paul BunyanTrophy is the trophy that goes to the year’s winner of one of the longest running rivalries inthe U.S., that of the annual football game between the University of Michigan and MichiganState University. This game happens sometime in October. This year, they will be meetingon the 20 th .For those who do not know what the Paul Bunyan Trophy is, let me give you a shorthistory of it. It is interesting that it was not always well received. First of all, Paul Bunyanis the name of a fictional lumberjack who was supposed to be a giant. He was so big thatsome people believe that the Grand Canyon was created by Paul Bunyan, by pulling his axthrough the soil. Anyway, people wanted to create a trophy which would be handed over tothe winner of the year’s rivalry football game between Michigan and Michigan StateUniversities. Its image was that of Paul Bunyan because Michigan was a major lumberproducing state. Like Paul Bunyan, this trophy is imposing compared to others like it. It iscarved from wood and stands four feet tall, with a base that is five foot high.Although the University of Michigan and Michigan State University football teams haveclashed since 1898, part of the reason why the Paul Bunyan Trophy was created was toobserve the induction of Michigan State University into the Big Ten Conference.University of Michigan athletic director and former head coach Fritz Crisler was not fond ofMichigan State’s inclusion into the Big Ten, and so he proclaimed that he would refuse itsacceptance if Michigan won.As it turned out, Michigan State won 14-6 in 1953. The trophy was displayed proudly inJenison Fieldhouse. This venue, by the way, is famous for being the home of the 1978-79NCAA champion basketball team, which included Earvin “Magic” Johnson. It isinteresting what happened the next year when Michigan beat Michigan State 33-7. Inkeeping with what Michigan’s Fritz Crisler had proclaimed, the trophy was left unclaimedfor half an hour after the conclusion of the game. It was later claimed, but leftdisrespectfully in an equipment closet of the Michigan Stadium locker room. Furthermore,despite winning in 1954 and 1955, Michigan did not engrave their scores onto the trophy.When a 12-12 tie occurred in 1958, the favored Spartans were so embarrassed that theyrefused the trophy. But since Wolverines wanted no part of the trophy, Michigan Staterelented and held on to the trophy. Such were the beginnings of the Paul Bunyan Trophy.However, today, after years of having the trophy go back and forth, it has become a covetedtrophy prized by both teams. There was neither truth or trial to which both sides were privy.It was just a matter of piling years of continued diligence in the observance of the yearlygame that somehow shed the trophy’s undesirable overtones. Almost mysteriously, thetrophy is revered and embraced today.Now, let us get back to Oregon. When I asked Sharon Takahashi whether Oregon hadsomething similar to the Paul Bunyan Trophy, she promptly had her sports research staff doa thorough check on this issue. Truthfully, I never expected a response from her. But, Iwill never underestimate Sharon again. She came back to tell me that there is somethingcalled the Platypus Trophy. I could not believe it. Oregon and Oregon State play eachother every year in what is referred to as the “Civil War”, but I had never heard of thePlatypus Trophy. I think that hardly anyone knows this. The platypus was chosen becausethis animal has features of both Oregon’s and Oregon State’s mascot, a duck and a beaverrespectively. Interestingly, this trophy comes with a story that rivals that of Michigan’sPaul Bunyan trophy. The Platypus Trophy was awarded to the winning schools for threeyears, from 1959 to 1961. However, it was mysteriously lost for more than forty yearsthereafter. Apparently, the trophy was stolen following the 1961 game. It would not berediscovered until 2005. It was found in a closet at the University of Oregon’s McArthurCourt, the home of the Oregon Duck’s basketball team. In 2007, someone proposed that thetrophy be the annual game’s unofficial prize.Despite being rediscovered, its once coveted status has not been restored. It is currentlyawarded to the alumni association of the winning school. Why has this happened? Could itbe that the Platypus Trophy is nowhere near the size of the Paul Bunyan Trophy? It isprobably only a foot and a half in length and no more than a foot high. But, the size of atrophy really should not determine its worth. The FIFA World Cup Trophy is less than afoot and three inches tall. It weighs less than thirteen and a half pounds. The NFL’s VinceLombardi Trophy stands at only 22 inches and weighs seven pounds.The worth of something varies by how much each person places their trust or passion onit. The Paul Bunyan Trophy was once shunned and abhorred; yet, as both Michigan andMichigan State kept playing each other through the years with the trophy standing in thestadium, people began to grasp its value. As this practice has not been followed with thePlatypus Trophy, it has lost its meaning and sheen. Our faith in the Buddha and histeachings are no different from this. One’s faith grows in relation to how much effort orpractice s/he puts into it. Like the Platypus Trophy, faith can easily be lost if there is noeffort to maintain its worth. In time, it loses its luster. One’s faith does not grow simply bycontemplating about it. Faith is nurtured through our daily effort in practicing Buddha’steachings. And, in turn, when one has faith, the practice of Buddha’s teachings becomeunclouded and effortless, motivating us again to further grow in our faith.(Eisei Ikenaga)